Pro Flight Mode (as opposed to Normal Flight Mode), abbreviated PF, is an option you can turn on in your game so that you fly your warhawk using Pro controls instead of Normal.
There is fierce debate about this, some say one is better or worse than the other. It seems most (but not all) agree that Normal Flight Mode is easier to learn than Pro Flight Mode. Pro offers greater control and maneuverability. Some say it's not worth tackling Pro, as Normal is as effective or more so. Others disagree. There are some maneuvers that can only be done in Pro. Some say that if you're going to learn Pro, you might as well start in Pro from the beginning and not get used to Normal. One of the developer's QA Analyst/Game Testers recommends Pro in the official strategy guide. You're going to have to decide for yourself what to do.
Tips for Pro Flight Mode
You'll find general warhawk tips in the main article on warhawks, and tips in the articles for each of the weapons for warhawks
- Video: Super-basic use, by BradyGames - Very basic info on flying, dodging, and use of all weapons. Click here
- Video: Pro Flight dodging tutorial, by KoutetsuTenshin - (one of many ways to dodge) video
- Video: Jocomat's Pro Flight dodge tutorial - (one of many ways to dodge) video
- Learn how to hug terrain - A PFer can hug the terrain very well with all the control that PF gives you...so learn how to do it! When you're zipping by very close to the ground it's harder for turrets & RPGs to even get a lock, and if a warhawk gets a lock you can break it behind a hill.
- Flat turning - Sometimes also called "flat spinning". A kind of turn that some pilots use sometimes. Video here
- More tips - Some tips for pro flight mode can be found in the The Flying Guide - V.3 thread posted by Warrior-101 at the Sony Warhawk forums.
- Hug mountians - Often if another player is chasing you its best to use the map to you're advantage. stay close to the map and use the buildings/ environment to scrub missiles if you get close to hitting something just press triangle.
- Quick Dive - If you notice someone following you chances are they are using (Normal Flight mode) dive straight up drop a air mine and quickly go in stealth mode. if they are using normal flight mode, they wont be able to lock on so easily because their crosshair isnt moving in the same direction as apposed to Pro-Flight. quickly fly back down to attack.
- Drift Lock - As you drift with your warhawk in Pro-flight mode, your crosshairs fade away. You can still lock on your target as long as the front of you're jet is facing the target. Use the left stick on your controller to stablize your aim, and fire. When you get the kill have a little fun and fly through the debris it will lower their confidence hahah.
- Add me, my psn name is SIK__SENSE (with 2 underscores) HAVE FUN FELLOW PILOTS!
(help the wiki! If Warrior-101 doesn't object to you copying his post, transfer it all to the wiki so it's preserved forever and others can add to it and refine it)
How to beat a Normal Flight Mode flyer
Tips that work regardless of your flight mode are in the Warhawk article
- Get them dancing - If you hit them with anything (machinegun, swarms, etc), they may go into an extended period of dodging to escape. While they're busy dodging, you can fly straight at them, overtake and get close, and target them with a close-range homer (hard to dodge), charged LG, machine guns, etc.
- Fly near the stall warning - Some find that flying high, just below stall warning height, works because some normal pilots keep spinning upwards until they stall...or, by flying so high, you force them to only spin downwards, so it's easier to figure-out where they're going.
- Boost vs. backflip - When they backflip, boost straight at them and attack. Or boost away from them and get out of missile-lock range.
- Dive/turn vs. backflip - When they backflip, dive & turn, so you're super-imposed on him on the mini-map, and look up. While they're trying to get their reticle down onto you, which will take them a few seconds, you're attacking.