How do you play US planes?

[The Grand Wizard]

I have the F8F-1 spaded and i basically can't do anything
I spend 3 minutes sideclimbing just to be as the same altitude as the germans and russians, i get outturned, outclimbed, i cannot run from anyone despite my plane being supposed to be fast
What manouvres are you supposed to do? I tried using my speed to run from a Yak3 and after 3 mins of him staying at 1km distance he got bored.
Bnz doesn't work since the plane stops responding at 600km
Do i give up on air rb and bomb people in grb?
Just before writing this i played a match where i sideclimbed 5 minutes and found out my entire team was dead and we were left 1vs6, then i watched as a Yak9 was just climbing up to me and getting closer, i turned around and i failed to bnz because the plane stopped responding so i got into a shallow climb and the yak turned around and started gaining on me

Im actually getting more kill in air rb with the Pe-8 gunners than mr bearpoop right here

I only played Uk Ger and Rus and never have i been so frustrated as i am while playing US. I know what i have to do with the other nations but america feels like Jack of no trade, master of absolutely nothing

So how are you supposed to play american props? What are the strengths, i can't find any and they really are testing my patience

[Jaes]

The Bearcat is better suited for low altitude engagements, not BnZ tactics. It loses a ton of engine power above 5000m and has issues with compression above 650km/h. It performs best below 1000m, but you can keep your engagement altitudes between 3000m and 4000m for good results as well.

The Bearcat's primary strength is its climb rate and acceleration at medium to low altitudes. It'll beat most anything to 4500m in a climb, but you start losing engine power the higher you go. You primarily want to bait attacks and use reversal tactics against a lot of the opponents you run into. All aircraft suffer from Air Compression if they're going too fast. You can use this to your advantage to plan your engagements as well.

Bearcats LOVE Yo-Yos and they're a good Offensive and Defensive maneuver for aircraft that are better suited for Energy fighting instead of pure BnZ tactics.

Something important to keep in mind: You don't need all the altitude in order to win an engagement, you just need enough to be able to maintain energy parity against your opponent, maintain your optimal maneuvering speed, and/or capitalize when they make a mistake when they overshoot if they have an altitude advantage on you.

This is a pretty common mistake a lot of players make with US aircraft. US aircraft in particular suffer less from compression effects than other nations and you can use this to an notable advantage. If your opponent is diving from 1-2km above you and you're able to cruise along at 500km/h, guess who is gonna the most trouble in that engagement? The fella diving at 600km/h+ is gonna discover real quick that speed management is super important, especially when your target suddenly snaps their nose on you in gun range you while you're trying to recover and reset your dive.

[The Grand Wizard]

That advice helped, but it still cannot save this plane, it's inherently bad, it simply can not compete with bfs and yaks, no matter the br, i'll just stop playing usa in air rb untill i get to the jets

One of the worst planes i ever touched, useless engine that overheats in a few seconds
It's like playing the Swift F1/F7 only 10 times worse

[SuperCrumpets]

fly in a straight line until people get bored of chasing you, then turn around and kill them

[The Grand Wizard]

Originally posted by SuperCrumpets:

fly in a straight line until people get bored of chasing you, then turn around and kill them

doesnt work bro, there is no getting away, at best you can keep them at 1km untill the engine overheats and they start gaining on you, this plane is terrible