Flight 97--The Okanogan Flying Circus!
Wish List Page!
Howdy Ho! Here's a brief list of some of the aircraft we would like to see included in Fighter Ace 2.0. Some of these are wild fantasies, but others are realistic expectations. Since the Zone staff has promised new planes from time to time, it'll be fun to see which ones they include as time progresses.
Japan: Ground attack & tank killing: the Tony II, the George, and the Frank can do an OK job of doing this, but there is something we'd like to see that might be better. There was a version of the Ki-102 "Randy," (a twin-engined craft) that was equipped with a single 57mm cannon & one 20mm cannon. The Ki-45 "Nick" with twin 30mm's and twin 20 mm's wouldn't be bad, either. Both had tailgunners.
A heavier, 4-engined bomber would be nice, but I wouldn't count on it happening. I think I've seen ONE obscure photo that hints that JP had a 4-engined bomber, but I think it still had a lousy bomb load, and was obsolete by 1940. The details are sketchy. I think it only flew over Mainland China. I need to do more research on it.
United States: Though Flight 97 rarely (if ever) flies for the US, There are some airplanes that they need added to their arsenal. For historic purposes, we think they should get to have the SBD Dauntless Dive Bomber. America "invented" dive bombing, and the Dauntless is THE diffinitive US divebomber. It's also a very good plane. Don't know if it'll be of any help, but it's gotta be better than the Japanese "Val."
Another American fighter plane that's lacking is the Wildcat. It was a primary workhorse of the US Marines in the Pacific, and held it's own against Japanese forces. How it'd do against a Spitfire or the Frank, I dunno. But it couldn't hurt to include it.
One American fighter that I fear may be included in the future is the Hellcat. Looks SIMILAR to the Wildcat, but it's a different plane. An awesome aircraft, I would be very much afraid if I saw it included in the US lineup. It might unballance the game.
Someone mentioned the Bell P-39 Airacobra as another possible fighter, but someone else pointed out that it was easy to send into an unrecoverable Death Spin. Maybe give it to GB.....
Soviet Union:
What can I say? Ever since the Sturmovik has come along, the SU's life is now complete. They may obliterate the enemy in serene bliss and fulfillment.
Actually, I've heard one or two pilots mention that they'd like to see the MiG 3 and the Pe-2 for historic reasons. The MiG 3 is a cool looking craft, kind of like a race-plane with guns. The cockpit is set behind the wings, closer to the tail than to the propeller. The Pe-2 is the ground attack bomber that the Tu-2 replaced later in the war. They were very numerous, and had a heavy role on the Eastern Front.
Germany:
I've heard several of GE's pilots complain that the British planes have been upgraded beyond their historic capabilities, while the German planes have been held back below their historic abilities. Many German pilots simply wish that their aircraft could do what they were historically capable of. Like increasing the Ju-88's bomb load to match its historic capacity.
Barring that, the Germans need a heavier bomber. We suggest the Heinkel He 177 "Greif." It was a four-engined bomber that could carry over 13,200 lbs of bombs. If Germany had developed the A-Bomb, the He 177 was the craft slated to deliver it.
For intercepting those pesky Lancasters, many are secretly wishing for the Me 262, with quad 30mm cannons. We are not holding our breath.
On the positive side of things, FA 2 did add the Me 109F. And we are thankful!
Other possibilities for Germany might be to include some of Italy's best fighters in the GE mix of aircraft. I am unaware of the Italian fighters' low and medium dogfighting abilities, but it wouldn't hurt to include craft such as: the Macchi C.202 series, like the C.202 Folgore or the C.205V Veltro. The Reggiane Re.2005 Sagittario, and the Fiat G.55 Centaro would also be powerful additions to the Axis air fleet. Some of these Italian fighters were flown by the Luftwaffe long after the Italian government switched sides, and served well. They look cool, too! :-)
Great Britain: We think the Spit, the Typhoon, and the Lancaster have spoiled too many of GB's flyers. Some of them need to learn that GB had mediocre aircraft, too. We vote they get the Bristol Blenheim (highest crew-loss rate of any GB plane of the war), the Gloster Gladiator (GB's WWII biplane), and maybe the Boulton Paul Defiant (fighter with no forward-firing guns!--had a tail-gunner who couldn't bail out of his turret if the electrical systems were out....).
Secondary Powers: Though not a realistic expectation, I think it would be cool to see how certain other countries' aircraft would do in FA. Such as the Polish-built PZL-37b Bomber or the Romanian-built IAR-80 fighter (Maybe the IAR-80 could be included with GE.) Some of the Dutch and French aircraft should be able to hold their own against the other nations' earlier planes, too.
Flt97_Wolfpole suggests a "Secondary Powers" Arena that pits Italy, Romania, Poland, France, and Holland against eachother. Would be interesting. Maybe in Fighter Ace 3.0......