FAMED HELLCAT FUN! F6F-5 - USA - War Thunder!

[@jengar6258]

Hey guys, was flying the first hellcat the other day, damn it was fun, but also a patience game. Which i find fun, but might not be it for your taste, i dont know. Once you get her up there and can play the B&Z game, this plane is stronk! Hope you enjoy! Make sure to like, comment, share and subscribe if you havnt yet! Cheers! Have a great day! o7

[@aaronnormanbigalbal4514]

Why are you using stealth ammunition with your hellcat you only used it by your British Spitfires

[@magicfluteb]

It's a shame that War Thunder didn't get the flight model correct for the Hellcat. Saburo Saki, in his first encounter with the Hellcat, said, "Now I appreciated the speed of these new fighters. They were so fast!" "... This was something new. An Airacobra or a P-40 would have been lost trying to match me in this fashion, and not even the Wildcat could hold a spiral too long against the Zero. But these new Hellcats - they were the most maneuverable enemy planes I had ever encountered." Not quite the same plane that you experienced in the game.

[@kimjanek646]

Yeah. According to Greg’s video on the Hellcat and Corsair vs FW 190 and BF 109, the Hellcat should have much better turning performance 🤔 Apparently it wasn’t easily outturned by a Zero and probably lost less speed allowing it to safely disengage from the fight.

[@jengar6258]

yeah, its a crying shame. very dissapointing.

[@athiftsabit1208]

@@kimjanek646 agreed, i've watched his detailed explanation too

[@presidentfool1325]

I agree, the hellcat in this game feels so heavy and slow compared to the zero

[@gr_egg]

they really werent that good against anything that wasn't japanese though, a 109g would tear it a new asshole

[@ShockwaveTheLogical]

"The Hellcat isn't that competitive and there are better options." *Casually kills half the enemy team*

[@jengar6258]

hehe, true. Its solid, but many planes are better in rank II USA.

[@ShockwaveTheLogical]

@@jengar6258 true. I love the hellcat personally (mostly because people underestimate the turning capabilities at high speed)

[@jengar6258]

@@ShockwaveTheLogical fair enough :)

[@PaulieLDP]

I always feel like Gaijin did the Hellcat dirty, they should at least lower the high speed compression and increase the BR accordingly.

[@kingcamilo]

It was 3.7 i think but people are really bad with it and get killed so they downtiered it so noobs can have fun without learning anything

[@jengar6258]

yeah, its not represented correctly.

[@alexhurlbut]

In real life, the issue with the Corsair was that it had a reputation as an ensign killer. The F6F Hellcat, a refined Wildcat, was far easier to learn and fly. It's why the USN decided to go all in with the Hellcat when they needed a lot of warm bodies to fill out the air wings on their carriers coming out of the shipyards.

[@roanferguson8873]

The hellcat could only be called a refined wildcat in its earliest design iterations. It's absolutely it's own plane, not just a minor improvement

[@HarryVoyager]

It was considerably easier and safer to handle on a carrier than the F4U, and I want to say it also cost about 1/3, or something ludicrous like that.

[@jengar6258]

no brainer then for the navy at that time.

[@Rationalmethod995]

​@@HarryVoyager the US Navy was trying to save SL 😂

[@johnfredette7420]

I also always heard stories about how great the f6f was in real life. Such a shame it isn't modeled properly in war thunder. Whenever I fly it (which is rarely) it feels like it is way too heavy or way underpowered. When I do fly a hellcat I usually fly the model that has the 20mm cannons because they are more effective than 50cals.

[@jengar6258]

agreed!

[@videre8884]

I use them as fighter bombers in mixed battles. I use the variant with 6 machine guns, which is lighter and therefore more manoeuvrable and faster. I love this thing, it lets me drop two 500 pound bombs one at a time and very accurately. The aircraft has enough power to pull up after a drop and gain enough altitude for a direct second approach and drop. 2 big bombs that you can drop one by one, armor and enough power and maneuverability to dodge return fire or fight other planes, love it. One of my favorite planes for mixed battles

[@shanechambers9529]

@@videre8884 I have over 500 ground kills with it lol

[@stop_tryharding]

What kills these planes for me is maneuvering energy retention. They dump so much speed if you so much as look at the ailerons.

[@jengar6258]

yes true, its a big downside, and makes it unforgiving. But also a great teacher for the B&Z style.

[@xavier4519]

well it makes reversals fairly easy to pull off

[@dr1Voss48]

I really don’t understand why anyone would bother with the F6F Hellcat when the low tier Corsairs exist. They’re a lot faster, more maneuverable, possess similar climb rates, pack the same armament, and sit at lower BR’s. I have more kills in the Corsair F Mk II (British tech tree premium) than any other aircraft. Another one of the absolutely iconic aircraft Gaijin did dirty is the DeHavilland Mosquito FB Mk VI. I guess doing basic historical technical research and modeling it in game is a lot harder than we think (or they’re just constantly drunk at Gaijin HQ).

[@PorkNBeans47]

You can use WEP consistently until it runs out with MEC. It has 3 superchargers though so you have to pay attention to your altitude when diving

[@jengar6258]

fair enough bailey ty!

[@onyourkilllist6880]

Very underrated bird! It’s too bad that the meta of the game doesn’t allow this plane a chance at success anymore. Games are decided way to quickly to give this baby a chance to side climb and show up with some energy.

[@leeham6230]

We should just start in the air ffs. Cimbing is boring, and sideclimbing puts me to sleep. Why tf would I waste my time sideclimbing when I can just hop into a bf109, J2M, Ki-44, etc? The need to sideclimb is why lower tier USA always loses.

[@onyourkilllist6880]

@@leeham6230 You don’t, That’s why those planes are so popular!

[@jengar6258]

the reason to do it is to expand your skills and make a lesser plane do well. It actually makes you a better pilot.

[@lightning_38]

Play simulator battles and you won’t need to worry about side climbing, you’ll have as much time as you want

[@onyourkilllist6880]

@@lightning_38 No thanks, I’ll play a real simulator like IL-2 or DCS if I wanna play sim.

[@chocochoco5186]

Thank you jengar for amazing guide videos

[@jengar6258]

you're welcome sir! o7

[@PLONG12345]

This plane fits my style. I always do Boom and Zoom and disengage when i havent got the enemy on splash attempts.

[@jengar6258]

she's good for that role for sure.

[@HarryVoyager]

I think people are not understanding the F6F in context it flew in. It was never a thoroughbred fighter; it was a Kurt Tank style warhorse. It was not the fastest fighter; at only around 380 to 390 mph it was pretty slow for its time. Its climb rate was decent, but not great. It ranges from about 2000 fpm to 2500 fpm depending on loading. Its roll rate was actually pretty poor: only around 60 degrees per second, though you could get it up to 90 with rudder. What it was, was consistent, rugged and easy to fly. It had very good landing characteristics, with wide and robust landing gear, and a low stall speed: That 60 knots is clean, and for a heavy fighter *is* a very low stall speed. And it gets as low at 55 knots in landing configuration. Corsairs, P-51's and other high speed fighters are usually coming it at 10-20 knots higher than that. Plus the high pilot position with excellent visibility, and stable flight characteristics, right to the stall limit meant that it was far easier to get on the carrier safely. That general stability also makes it an excellent long ranger operator. Because the plane cruises easily, and stays where you point it, you can spend your time an energy on navigating. That ends up being huge when you're talking about trying to do hours long missions over open ocean, and means that the pilots are operating at a way higher level of performance than they are in a more difficult plane to fly in. I've been flying the F6F in MS Flight Sim, and the thing is, for just straight flying, it is an absolute joy. It wants to get in the air, and is incredibly comfortable getting there, getting around, and getting back down, even when loaded to the gills. I've done a lot of long flights in simulated warbirds, and the Hellcat is the only one I can fly for an hour, and not realize it. Thing is, none of that is relevant to War Thunder; we're not doing pitching deck landings, we're not navigating for hours on end before we reach contact with the enemy, and generally, we're not determining whether or not we get to fly by whether we've got spare parts. And all you're left with is a plane with so-so speed, so-so climb rate, and so-so maneuverability. It's only edge is it can take hits, and that only gets you so far.

[@tasty_pineapple]

I disagree with you Jengar :). This plane for me is perfect. If you are patient, sideclimb and wait until all enemies dive, you are almost untouchable. You are just BnZing and killing enemies one by one. Btw love the video!

[@gabork5055]

But there comes the old problem with allied teams dying in the first 2 minutes of the match leaving you to fight against a team on your own. The old dilemma to pleb around and try to take out as many as possible and die while low and slow or try to solo teams. At this br. the Ki44 just outdoes it in almost every way if i recall correctly. I have recently been flying the Fw190 A1 again after the br. adjustments and all i could do with them is to outdive them (my teams usually dead by that point)-i would imagine it's worse with the Hellcats. And when even just one plane outperforms yours fighting against a team becomes even more of a liability. I think it and the Fw190 are the kinds of planes i would call a noob killer, aka. underdogs even in their low br.-s in a way that can handle teams that don't know what they are doing but aren't really particularly good in a meta sense.

[@jengar6258]

thanks luky! and fair enough, its good from that spot.

[@JoshuaJames604]

I feel like the hellcat in warthunder is just better suited as a ground attack aircraft. You can get a lot done with its payload in ground rb

[@lol-un6nl]

Tiny tims go brrrrr

[@guilhermesada5840]

Hello Jengar, thanks for the video, could you add in the description of the videothe gun convergence you use, fuel you take etc?

[@anthonymoe5280]

jengar you the coolest logo for war thunder!!!!

[@jengar6258]

o7

[@Zelectrocutica]

3.3 BR is really good for this plane

[@jengar6258]

yea, it holds its own.

[@friendk422]

When you do get the altitude and energy in this aircraft you will be very hard to catch. One of my favorites and most successful planes. Especially considering the British version does not suffer as much in terms of matchmaking compared to the American Hellcat.

[@Raiders1917]

I have wreaked in both the -5, and -5N. The Hellcat to me is one of the best fighters at its tier (practically). It is slow yes, but it turns better then most think it deos (catching people off guard), and is a decent energy fighter. I will out turn the heavier fighters all day (like the 190s), just be cautious around 109s. I understand the FM isn't quite right, still fun to fly out nonetheless.

[@faunbudweis]

very true, was grinding the French ones, both are excellent boom';n;zoomers and catch many people off-guard, just the other day I taunted a 109 G-6 pilot (one of the last players at altitude whom I couldnt catch) into a dogfight, he lost that dogfight :)

[@jengar6258]

sure, it still holds its own.

[@tedarcher9120]

It does turn very well for an american fighter, though not very high twr, but the wing is huge

[@jengar6258]

yeah maybe, but not for what you'll face.

[@tedarcher9120]

@@jengar6258 3.3 is a bit steep for sure, especially against beasts like n-0 at 3.0, man their flight model is broken

[@Halvatore]

Hey @Jengar, realy love your content. It helps me a lot in the starting phase of WT. Have you stopped doing the RANK - Tutorial and Guide's? They have helped me a lot to skill in the right direction. Would love to see you continue these. Cheers!

[@jengar6258]

i will continue them mate! working on rank III USA atm!

[@roanferguson8873]

In my own experience, the Hellcat is a deceptively good turn fighter. While it's roll is average, the elevator authority is excellent. You'll be able to out turn anything that isn't an early spitfire, a zero, or an oscar. Anything you can't out turn, you can outrun in the hellcat. Even Yaks have issues with a well flown Hellcat

[@jengar6258]

excellent? i wouldnt call it excellent tbh.

[@kingcamilo]

Some very satisfying kills. Good shootin

[@jengar6258]

ty sir! o7

[@domi5875]

Nice

[@jengar6258]

ty sir! o7

[@backtosleep]

IT'S HOPELESS LEARNING THIS DAMN GAME! I gave this game another chance and it's hopeless. Lost 10 in a roll. The games weren't even close.

[@jengar6258]

what gamemode are you playing? i would recommend watching my tutorial playlist, and then try again.

[@thegrayjedi5202]

I was talking to some fellas in game earlier while flying the USMC Corsair and telling them that it would be nice if the 50 cals on aircraft would sound a bit more hefty, like they do on tanks. They just sound like very low caliber light machine guns and in real life they just sound so much meatier. Cool video as always I might check out this plane!

[@kingcamilo]

I like the clicking sounds they make. In real life they sound like slapping, they never had that much bass to it

[@kingcamilo]

Bass

[@jengar6258]

i miss some of the older gunsounds tbh.

[@1968leg]

Love this plane, although the British version. When you need to complete Terror or Hero of the sky task. This is the plane I choose every time.

[@jengar6258]

fair enough.

[@ATBatmanMALS31]

what sucks about the hellcat: unless you are near top speed, you won't be hanging any zeros. It should be able to hang them at a near equal energy state... that's a problem.

[@jengar6258]

yeah, its not quite as good as its supposed to be.

[@alexhurlbut]

@@jengar6258 could it be that they were using the -3 performance stats? The -5 gotten an improved engine, R-2800-10W, that gave out 2200HP and had included water injection while -3 only had a 2,000hp R-2800-10. On top of said improved engine, the -5 had reinforced rear fuselage and tail, spring-loaded control tabs on her ailerons and a slightly more streamlined engine cowling.

[@spencer5654]

Ground (tanks) games these plans are very good.

[@jengar6258]

fair enough!

[@robfox5464]

I'm confused here as the F6F 5/F6F 5N are described as torpedo-bombers in WT. They can carry a decent load but are slow and certainly cannot handle it in a dogfight against 3.3 fighters. I use them as bombers with good results and, at least I, suffer lower attrition in grind/bomb missions in RB as can easily wipe out a base plus a chunk of a second one and generally come back to base undamaged.

[@jengar6258]

they can be used for groundpounding as i said, im glad that works for you!

[@Warplanes_simplified]

Only problem for me in sim is rear visibility because it does not have any mirrors or a bubble cockpit

[@frieso9558]

The plane even overheats when you use MEC, you have to handle three compressor stages and sometimes have to switch when you go from WEP to 100% and the huge cooling flaps work like airbrakes! So I do not even use MEC on this plane. I don't know why, but I like the F6F, but I prefer the british Hellcat mk.II, because it is a better SL and RP grinder. I even have an ace crew on that plane! Something must be wrong in the flight model of the Hellcats in this game! How can a plane that was able to turn the tides in the pacific that bad? I mean in my opinion it is on the right spot, but there are many planes that are much better (and have a higher BR) in the game, but US pilots prefered the F6F.... You did not like the flaps, but I think they are great! They will never rip, because they retract automatically, when you are too fast. You have to learn how to use them, the Hellcat turns great with flaps! But you will become a sitting duck, a huge target and very slow...

[@jengar6258]

yeah they bleed a lot of speed, its a shame their not as good as the pilots said it was.

[@DocProfit]

It could really use an air start. IRL it had plenty of time to get up high and BNZ zero, or run away. In Warthunder it has to side climb for 1/3rd of the match before it can start being really effective.

[@frieso9558]

@@DocProfit In real life it was able to out limb all Zeros, in Game it is not even able to out limb the A6m2! If you climb at higher Speeds it can climb but not well enough. I am not shure If there where more Hellcat variant with better engines, but this is really poor.

[@exploraticos]

Videazo gracias.

[@jengar6258]

no problemo.

[@x1mmx]

Jengar have you ever played with Defyn?

[@jengar6258]

yes, I did my 25:00 podcast with him and adam.

[@bethelscrubs2549]

I prefer the British premium, same performance, much better rewards.

[@jengar6258]

roger that! o7

[@Jaminhawk]

There is a good reason to use this plane. Torpedos.

[@jengar6258]

if you like naval yes.

[@mikehull5042]

Great vid so true about the good n bad models one of em being the mosquito, should be way faster than most in the Br as the Germans couldn't catch it. Would be nice to see.

[@jengar6258]

that would be great mike! o7

[@Warplanes_simplified]

I love to use the hellcat with universal in sim because it is something I can kinda fly however I want to in sim and I will usually just take a 109 in the two circle rate fight in the deck only time I struggle is when there is more than one aircraft and on has a tail gunner but it is very good over all I am able to confidently turn fight with this thing at slow speeds with combat flaps

[@jayklink851]

Dick Bong (40 kills) wasn't America's highest scoring ace. America's highest scoring ace was a corsair pilot with 46 kills (conservatively.) However, he was an alcoholic Indian, not the best material for wartime film reels' (or selling war bonds).

[@jengar6258]

fair enough mate, maybe i said it wrong, i meant the plane with the highest amount of enemy kills, and best k/d ratio in general, or is that the corsair?

[@jayklink851]

@@jengar6258 Oh, no, you're right. My comment had nothing to do with your assessment of the Hellcat. I was just trying to put it out there that Dick Bong wasn't the top American pilot out there lol.

[@JamesPolymer]

What was the "alcaholic Indian"s name? I've tried searching for him, but no luck.

[@jayklink851]

@@JamesPolymer Jeeze, I'm trying to remember, the DOD wanted to keep it under wraps for obvious reasons. I just remember a long time ago watching a documentary on the pilot from the Military History Channel. The Channel was canceled many years ago, but the History Channel, at that time, still was about REAL history.

[@nickhaynie5980]

Man, you don't know what you're talking about. Firstly Dick Bong didn't fly a Corsair, he flew the P38 exclusively. He wasn't an alcoholic Indian , he was a white man from Wisconsin with Swedish ancestry ancestry. Also the 2nd highest scoring ace for the US was Tommy Maguire who also flew the P 38. And lastly Bong died shortly after the war flying a jet prototype as a test pilot. Don't be spouting off nonsense.

[@lawsonmccaskill6963]

Ive played with it a little. Its not the best, however, Its a great multi role fighter.

[@lefty_13]

My favorite bird in the game mostly fly the franch one 4 to1 kd

[@loicalex]

hello Jengy ! been a while

[@jengar6258]

hey Loicalex! whats been a while?

[@mochabear88]

torpedo is nice

[@jengar6258]

if you say so ;)

[@jayklink851]

I tell you where the Hellcat excels, ground rb. 2-4 kills is not unusual when facing the Germans.

[@jengar6258]

can imagine that Jay, 6 rockets and 2 1000 pounders is nothing to snif at.

[@josephstalin8684]

How do you and other KZbinrs measure things like energy retention and roll rate since these are all things not in the statistics card? I'm trying to get into air rb but it's proving to be quiet frustrating.

[@onyourkilllist6880]

Stick with it, no one is good right away. You have to pay your dues and you’re joining a mode where some people have 9 years of experience.

[@jengar6258]

the process takes time comrade, practice makes perfect. My range/measuring is based on testflight tests, ingame matches, my experience, my feeling and intuition.

[@haf_blind_piratehaha4344]

Hello! Hope you are doing well. While the hellcat isn't the best with performance I have always had fun with it.

[@jengar6258]

same here!

[@tommasoviani8949]

Yes it's slower but it's much more manuverable than the f4u or mustang or p39s

[@jengar6258]

problem is that it doesnt match opposition ingame which itr could defeat IRL.

[@93Tillinfini]

prodigy firestarter lol

[@jengar6258]

yup

[@grognard23]

Could you rephrase that statement regarding how it is as a silver lion earner? I am not sure I have ever heard the terminology you used. 😁

[@jengar6258]

atrocious

[@grognard23]

@@jengar6258 I will buy that for a dollar. That said, I could have sworn it was something more like 'brrrbrrrbrrrblah" and that is a new one for me. 😁 Edited for inadequate spacing!

[@signor_padella284]

I was playing the f4u 1 usmc at 3.0 and I won against a f6 f hellcat 3.3 I had no wep and he was going faster than me but after the first turn the hellcat almost stalled and I killed him easily . The hellcat was powered by the Pratt & Whitney R 2800 double wasp same as p 47 and f4u in real life it had 2000hp in game only 1999 ( I know 1 ho it’s not a lot but it’s not realistic ) except the p 47 and f4u that get from the same engine 2000 hp and I feel like the hell cat weighs too much

[@Raven5431]

Dam. I was just getting up to the hellcat and I am looking at the stats like this is not the hellcat...shit turn shit climb. 😒 this will not fly like I'm used to. I'm sad. They could have at least dropped the battle rating. I hope my p47s are going to be more accurate to reality when I unlock. I do t see an m model though 😔

[@jengar6258]

the p-47M is a premium plane. that is unavaileble atm if you cant see it.

[@TheJimyyy]

This plane real engine have 2200 hp in game is 1999

[@tigertonk9552]

Personally it should be 3.0

[@jengar6258]

Agreed! i mention it in the video ;)

[@wruenvadam]

Remember when it used to be 3.7? XD

[@AbuctingTacos]

Can't go vertical, can't turn with most, slower than all of its competitors wtf is the point of it? It's miles from being near realistic so they nerf it for what? It's my favorite plane in real life and I'm pissed it's pointless

[@jengar6258]

Well thats true, its not up to the RL prowess, its irrelevant because there's better planes to use at its br. But flying it will make you a better pilot, and will teach you to extract the maximum out of a limited plane. So there is some value in it from that point of view.

[@laco9838]

im gonna be honest, this plane is a shitbox in air rb. you cant just brand every shitbox as a boom and zoomer doesnt work. after climbing to 3.5k u have 3 possibilities for an avarage pilot for the br 1. be the last person on your team and get killed by 3 german p 47s or just get shot down on your climb OR ur team just wins while your climbing. i delayed my frikin p 38 in tier 4 beacuse i REALLY loved the f6f out of wt. for an average pilot at the br in ar rb this is a waste of sl. no offense to you jengar if this seemed a bit too agressive but i just dont want anyone else getting this plane and getting scammed

[@laco9838]

thinking a little more i might just be spoiled by the corsairs and the mustangs

[@jengar6258]

i think you might be sir ;)

[@onyourkilllist6880]

I don’t agree. I used to make this plane work at 3.7. The biggest issue is the a/c needs time to get altitude and with a short 25 minute matches. You can’t side climb with it. This thing with altitude and wound up is very competent. A 2000 HP engine at 3.3 is very competitive, Unfortunately the meta currently doesn’t allow it to be useful until about 10 minutes in. Games nowadays are over by then. The plane isn’t that bad, flown disciplined it can be very good given it some time to get some altitude.

[@laco9838]

im glad it worked for you but i cant say the same for a lot of people im not saying its bad you just have to get used to it but not a lot of people have the sl to continue that after they run out of free repairs the plane would probably be fine if the 1hr battles were back tho

[@zachnar0125]

Sorry but they completely shit on the Hellcat in this game. VERY disappointing. Has literally none of its actual strengths.......

[@fuzzydragon]

there are few turds as overhyped in the war as the hellcat shes a worse easier to hit p40 they won via squad tactics over individual performance.

[@jengar6258]

its not represented correctly from what i understand.