Recon Aircraft:
Over-grown lawn mowers





    "Those bombers made pretty short work of that field. By the time I got there and checked the place out there wasn't a single structure standing."
    P-47 pilot on recon patrol near a Japanese field, just after a strike




Recon; one fun job


    Pulling recon duty for some means death at the hands of fighters patroling enemy airspace. For others it's a lot of fun; a chance to pull some NOE flight, mow the lawn, eat weeds, and piss the enemy off something awful. Granted, recon aircraft suffer horrendous casualties due to the chances they take to get the pictures, but the pilots love doing it. Most fighter pilots call recon planes "Homicidal Hummingbirds". Mostly due to their buzzing around enemy facilities, and the fact that recon pilots don't like to get up high. For most, 10,000 feet is a near orbital altitude.
    Normally recon pilots are trained in flight school, but some fighter pilots have converted over to recon with mediocre results. You see, fighter pilots like to stay up higher than their enemy so they can get the drop on enemy planes. Recon pilots love to hug the ground, eating weeds as it's called, to stay away from all the activity above. Well that, and the fact your pictures look a LOT better if they're close-ups.
    Fighter pilots that convert over to recon flying usually don't like to hug the ground for fear of getting bounced from above. In a way, flying low reduces the chances of getting bounced by keeping your belly against the ground. On top of this, by ducking between hills and down valleys you can loose any enemy plane that attempts to follow. Most pilots like the occasional low level flight, but they don't do it near as often as recon pilots do. The result is a pilot that can hug the ground for his entire flight.
    Some of the basics of recon flight are almost too simple. Stay low, use the terrain to your advantage, stay behind the hills, and only show yourself when you want to. Poping out from a canyon at speeds nearing 350 mph not only gives you little time to react, it also increases your aircraft's response to control inputs. Flying recon aircraft is not much fun for fighter pukes; you have to stay low all the time or you might get killed. Then again, staying low is what might kill you.
    A good example of this can be seen just South of F12 in the MEDRL map in Warbirds, or in the old Beta map in Aces High near A1. In every terrain there are lots of deep canyons, mountains, hills, and hiding places for recon aircraft. You just have to find them. Flying down the canyons at top speed in a Bf-109 G6 will give you a new appreciation for sharp handling responses. If any aircraft is not cut out for recon duty it is the 109. The horrid control response at top speed can kill you if you're not on the ball. On the opposite end of things is the Spitfire.
    The Spitfire is almost perfectly suited for recon duty. It handles well at high speeds, the acceleration is better than most, and it can move down canyons quickly enough to loose a persuing enemy plane. These qualities are what recon pilots need to survive. I've flown just about every fighter available and just a few aircraft stand out. They're explained below.

  P-51B Mustang: The acceleration is right up there with the best, so you can get up to top speed in a hurry. It responds better than most aircraft at high speeds; this can save your life while rocketing down a canyon at 350mph. Although the canopy has a lot of rails and cross-members, you can easily see outside. And it has the weapons necessary to deal with any enemy plane that comes looking for you. While perfectly suited for long range recon missions you might not want to use it for a short range "Snoop 'n' poop" as the aircraft has bad handling when loaded with full fuel.

   Bf-109 G6: I didn't say you couldn't use this aircraft for recon, I said it isn't advisable. The poor control response at high speeds means you have to fly the aircraft three seconds ahead of where you really are. The acceleration isn't terrible, but the big stand-out for it is the climbing ability. This aircraft can climb at just under 3,000 feet per minute and not loose one ounce of speed. Quite handy when faced by sheer cliffs and steep canyons. Provided you keep your airspeed high enough you can out-run just about anyone that comes looking for you.

   Spitfire Vb: Simply the best. The high roll rate combined with the great turning ability allows you to take sharp turns without hesitation. The acceleration could be better, but it's top speed is just about right for a recon aircraft. While the climbing ability isn't great, it's just enough to keep yourself out of trouble.

   Typhoon IB: The fastest thing down low in Aces High. About the only thing that can catch you is a bullet or a P-51 diving in from 10,000 feet. One thing to know is that a Typhoon doesn't roll well above 350mph; it'll hit 370 on the deck. Just fly it like a 109 and you'll be fine; start your maneuvers early, and try to anticipate what you need to do in order to get the job done.

   Tempest Mk V: You don't go any faster than this. Nearly 400mph on the deck means this thing is a perk plane. Not the world's greatest for NOE flight since it costs you to fly it; and costs you more to lose it. Roll rate isn't that bad, and elevator response is about on par with the Typhoon. Keep it fast and you only have to worry about running into another Tempest, as nothing else can catch you. Except, of course, an La-7 with a severe meanie streak.

    Ar. 234 B: I'll bet you didn't know the Arado 234 was not only a bomber but also a recon plane. Learn something new every day. Control response at high speed makes the Bf-109 look like an Fw-190, but you can't be caught by anything. 432 mph on the deck, with the ability to hit 450+ mph without an external load. Obviously a perk plane, but if you've got the gas go roam around down low and look for stuff. Even I have to admit, the sound of rocks getting sucked into a jet engine is kinda addictive.

    Me-262: The perfect hot rod. What you can't do is dogfight with it because of the 500mph deck speed; going that fast a turn takes miles. Recon pilots call this thing a medium altitude aircraft since you really need to fly it 1,400 feet above the terrain. Any lower and you really risk a collision with other aircraft, terrain, and even buildings. Keep it fast and watch out for other aircraft. No they can't shoot you down easily, but they can report where you are to their friends.

    This doesn't mean you can't use any other aircraft for pulling recon duty, it simply means that these are the best there is. The absolute worst has to be a tie between the Mosquito and the Bf-110G2. They both have slow top speeds, at least compaired to fighters, and the roll rate is enough to kill in-experienced pilots even when flying at 10,000 feet in clear skies. The other aircraft I wouldn't use is the Me-262. It's just too fast for recon duty. It might be the fastest aircraft in the game, but the slow control response at those speeds makes for a poor choice.
 
 
 

Getting started


    Before you start running recon missions you might want to practice flying at low level through canyons and close to hills. It takes some getting used to for fighter pilots, especially when you normally fly at 25,000 feet or more. For most, flying low and fast means suicide. Average pilots just don't like flying close to the ground; most recon pilots spend more time on the deck than anyone else. Once you get used to flying low level you have to get used to getting shot at.
    If there's one thing recon pilots have to get used to, it's getting shot at. Enemy commanders don't like the idea of an aircraft snooping around their area. Sometimes, when a bomber strike is getting ready to launch, a commander will have a few fighters get in the air first to roam the area. Their job is to flush out any enemy recon aircraft they find. As a result recon pilots get shot at more than fighter and bomber pilots combined. When a recon aircraft passes between hills near an enemy field, and happens to look at the right time, he might spot some bombers at a field.
    Once the photographs have been taken the pilot has to get home ASAP. The sooner he gets the pictures back the quicker the enemy field can be dealt with. To speed things up, most pilots will just radio a message back to their commanders regarding a little field with some BIG aircraft parked on it. Aside from making things happen just that much faster, it gives you a chance to get away. Always fly low level, use what cover you can find, and don't hold a straight course. I like to duck down a canyon, shoot between hills, and change course every few seconds or so just to keep them guessing.
    When you fly low you can rarely plot a straight course, unless you're one of those pilots that likes to run up and down hills every few seconds. I prefer to simply find a basic course to a known enemy location, and fly there low level. You can practice this in the MEDRL map, at least in the northern half of the map. The southern portion of the map is mostly desert, so flying low level doesn't give you any advantage.

Here's a mission to try, just to test yourself:
 

    Time: 0900 hours
    Location: Some friendly field
    Operation: Snoop 'n' Poop
    Aircraft type: Pick one
    Fuel load: Pilot's discretion
 

    Details:
        On or about 0900 hours you will depart where you are bound for some enemy field. You will reconnoiter said field for any AAA emplacements, hangars, parked enemy aircraft, enemy patrol aircraft, bomber aircraft, and/or mobile supply depots. Once the field has been mapped thoroughly, you will return home.

    You may use any fuel load, course and speed you wish to complete the mission. Your altitude must NEVER be above 500 feet AGL, to avoid being spotted on radar. If you are spotted on radar the mission is an automatic failure.
 

    Sound like fun? It is. I flew the mission myself, just like I normally do before I post it here. It can be done if you're careful, if you know the terrain, and if you're ready to get shot at. Provided you don't get killed, you might want to take some pictures [using alt-s] of your little journey. Flying through hills at 300+mph is loads of fun.

    Provided you don't ram them, get shot down by flak, belly land, or do something equally unplesant.


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