Rudder Use

From SkyFighters Wiki

Proper use of the rudder is often overlooked and misunderstood in flight sims, but there is no great mystery to it. Learning how to use it effectively is important no matter what you fly or which environment you are flying in. In this game there are no atmospheric conditions to contend with and factors such as slip and skid are not represented so that it isn't absolutely necessary to use rudder at all. However by learning and practicing good rudder techniques you can greatly improve your flying skill and make yourself a more formidable opponent.

The easiest trick to learn is to yaw the aircraft to help get your opponent into your gun sight. This game will only allow your plane to yaw a few degrees to either side before it wants to return to center and it will not make a big change of direction, but it will give you enough to aid in aiming. You just need to remember that it will cost you energy to do it because drag will be increased as you are essentially skidding sideways. Use the rudder to fine tune your shot, then if needed use it again to re-center. Naturally the further off line you yaw and the longer you hold it the more energy you lose.

You can use this same technique to force an overshoot if someone is diving in on you. Fishtail from one side to the other to slow down even faster.Timing becomes everything in these kind of maneuvers as you will make an easy target of yourself if you do it too soon. There are several such moves where you can use rudder to increase drag and slow yourself down. It's sometimes just as helpful when you're the one diving in hot.

And perhaps most importantly is using rudder to improve your turning ability. This is a more subtle skill that relies heavily on feel and the amount of rudder authority your aircraft has. Rudder authority is the measure of how quickly and powerfully the plane responds to rudder inputs. Planes with a large rudder area such as the Corsair have good rudder authority while the Hellcat has the smallest area and the least authority. All the other planes in this game fall somewhere in between. It isn't necessary to hold rudder through your turns, but a quick stab at just the right time can help make much tighter turns. This is usually near the apex. There are also times during vertical maneuvers when rudder will be your most effective means of changing direction.

Practice these techniques for yourself and see how much advantage you can gain.