Janes WW2 Fightersby Thomas 'AV8R' SpannOne of 1998’s most highly anticipated militaryflight simulations has finally hit the virtualEuropean geography with a big impact. Jane’s WW2 Fightersis here, but does it fulfill the high expectationsset for it?Jane’s WW2 Fighters comes at ya with spectacularFXWith one more major WW2 era sim left to bereleased this year, (SSI's Luftwaffe Commander), the picture is getting clearer on who will be the king of theskies over 1945’s Europe - and on our harddrives.The short of it is that Jane’s WW2Fighters pushes special effects to the next levelof heights, but falls short in some of thefeatures most important to the serious (a.k.a.hard-core) simmer. Let’s first examine theexpectations that were set by the following to befound on Jane’s website (have been playing the WWII Fighters game forabout six months now. The graphics are incredible,and I find the dogfighting to be as close as youcan get to realism on a computer screen, and itstill allows the novice to have fun, too! WWIIfans will love this one for its historicalcontent, as well as the game play.' Bud' Anderson, Triple Ace, flew 116 CombatMissions in WWII.' No other simulation - in fact, no othercomputer game - has so accurately simulated theappearance of a real-world combat environment.'

World War II: The War in the Air - Full Documentary - Duration: 54:40. Janson Media 352,794 views.

-Denny Atkin, Computer Gaming World.' More than merely a feast, its a canvas. It brims with atmosphere, and it shows the artists touch at every pause. Sometimes it borders on surrealism, but mostly it is simply beautiful. The best description of the game is that you are flying in a WW2 movie.' Len Hjalmarson, www.combatsim.comSo much for the opinions of others, let's embark now into what this reviewerexperienced, and we will sum up at the end if theexpectations set were met by what we received, aswell as how this sim rates in my estimation.WW2 Fighter’s Museum motif graphical userinterfaceAfter a flawless installation and going throughall the very well laid out options and preferencesscreens, (which were all done in a nice radiobutton and switches motif, apropos for the 1945era), we enter the Jane’s Museum.

Talk about awork of art! This graphical user interface (GUI)is a perfect example of form meets function.What’s more, you get to hear splendid Glen Millerbig band music - another nice shift from jet simrockin’ and rollin’ tunes.

Contents.Historical overview Military aviation appeared in when aircraft were initially used to spot enemy troop concentrations, field gun positions and movements. Early aerial combat consisted of aviators shooting at one another with hand held weapons. The first recorded aircraft to be shot down by another aircraft, which occurred on October 5, 1914, was a. A flight envelope diagram showing V S (stall speed at 1G), V C (corner speed) and V D (dive speed)There are five things a pilot must remain aware of when contemplating aerial engagement; of these, seeing and keeping sight of one's opponent are the most important. In Southeast Asia, over 85 percent of all kills are attributed to the attacker spotting and shooting the defender without ever being seen.

Structural limitations of the attacking and defending fighters must be taken into account, such as, and the 'corner speed' (the maximum or minimum speed at which the aircraft can attain the best turning performance). Variable limitations must also be considered, such as, turn rate and the of the aircraft. Position of aircraft must quickly be assessed, including direction, angle off tail (the angle between flight paths), and closing speed.

Also, the pilot must be aware of his ’s position and maintain good communication.A pilot in combat attempts to conserve his aircraft’s through carefully timed and executed manoeuvres. By using such manoeuvres, a pilot will often make trade offs between the fighter’s (altitude) and (airspeed), to maintain the energy-to-weight ratio of the aircraft, or the 'specific energy'. A manoeuvre such as the ' trades altitude for airspeed to close on an enemy and to decrease turn radius. The opposite manoeuvre, a ', trades speed for height, literally storing energy in 'the altitude bank', which allows a fast moving attacker to slow his closing speed.An attacker is confronted with three possible ways to pursue an enemy, all of which are vital during chase.

'Lag pursuit' happens in a turn when the nose of the attacker's aircraft points behind an enemy's tail. Lag pursuit allows an attacker to increase or maintain range without. 'Lead pursuit' in a turn occurs when the nose of the attacking aircraft points ahead of the enemy.

Lead pursuit is used to decrease the distance between aircraft, and during gun attacks when the cannons must be aimed, not at where the defender is, but where he will be when the bullets get there. 'Pure pursuit' happens when the nose of the attacker points directly at the defender.

Pure pursuit is when most missiles will be fired, and is the hardest position to maintain. These are known as pursuit curves. The tactical egg shows the effects of gravity on manoeuvringThe turning battle of a dogfight can be executed in an infinite number of geometric planes. The incredible machine even more contraptions. Pilots are encouraged to keep their manoeuvres out of the strictly vertical and horizontal planes, but to instead use the limitless number of oblique planes, which is much harder for an adversary to track. This infinite number of planes around a fixed point about which the aircraft turns is termed the 'post and bubble'. A fighter that can maintain position between an aircraft and its imaginary post cannot be attacked by that aircraft.

The imaginary bubble, however, is misshapen by, causing turns to be much tighter and slower at the top, and wider and faster at the bottom, and is sometimes referred to as a 'tactical egg'.The manoeuvres employed by the attacker can also be used by the defender to evade, or gain a tactical advantage over his opponent. Other components may also be employed to manoeuvre the aircraft, such as, and vectors. A key factor in all battles is that of 'nose-tail separation'.

While getting close enough to fire a weapon, an attacker must keep his aircraft's nose far enough away from the tail of the defender to be able to get a good aim, and to prevent an. The defender, likewise, will use every manoeuvre available to encourage an overshoot, trying to change his own role to that of attacker. Example manoeuvring.