I-16, What do?

[Spectre]

After a bunch of... "Interesting" flights in the I16 with Hotlunch we both decided that we have absolutely no idea on what we are doing. The amount of slipping that goes on is more than I can deal with and I rely more on positioning more than anything I as a pilot or the aircraft can do. Tons of people say that due to its small size and maneuverability that it can be a formidable foe and to that I question if its indeed as "maneuverable" as people claim. It rolls well and is responsive but I can't ever seem to be able to keep in a turn with someone unless I am jumping them.

Am I just shit? Or is its slight ability to out turn before it slips the secret to it being considered viable by some people? Any tips and suggestions are welcome.

[Onebad]

The only real tip I can give you is that rudder work will help you avoid snap rolls that the I-16 is really prone to. In order to achieve the tightest possible turn you need to avoid keeping your wing 90 degrees down, and instead aiming for about 60 degrees, while simultaneously using rudder to keep your nose where you want to go.

[Jammy]

Treat it like a fast biplane. Only difference is that you must have speed if you want to fully utilize its turning capabilities. Once you run out of energy it stops being a nimble biplane and stalls easily due to its stubby and short design.

The trick is to not get fooled into burn up all of your energy when in a dogfight. If you end up low on energy you are usually doomed.

This is what i've picked up with my limited experience flying it in 1946

[Kai Lae]

What Jammy says. Plus, it has a really nasty accelerated stall. As you get slower the amount you can pull gets less so you need to take that into account.

[Raptorattacker]

All the above totally nailing it. It IS nimble, it ISN'T fast but it CAN be a formidable opponent as long as it's kept within its boundaries. In fact, it's lack of speed comparative to say a 109 can be used to great advantage. Oh yeah, don't underestimate it's climb as well.

[Shadepiece]

Yeah, it has a very, very strong climb in the vertical. Smoke and I have had a few really successful sorties flying these together.

[Pariah]

I've found that you can bring it up on it's tail and turn back Immelmann style quite well. It's all about being careful in your approach and mindful of its stall. It'll quite happily skirt the edges of its stall and also you definitely need to use the rudder. It handles like an old biplane in that regard.

I'd be happy to get some practice flights in with you.