Use your rudders and flaps to edge out of the reticle. Use those bumpers and roll a lot.

Pursuit

When in pursuit of said boggy remeber your choice air frames abilities. Also anilize the aircraft your chasing, if you are in a MIG21 and your chasing a Su-33 your out matched 3 to 1 on all stats. So lets break it down.

1. When first engageing DFM evaluate the aircraft

2. DO NOT get missle happy or gun happy you will just waste ammo

3.Once you have a solid hold on the aircraft think about what you would do if roles were switched and begin to anticapate their next move, but also make sure you leave enough room that you can easily turn back on them if you were wrong

4. Watch your redicals, once both are centered and the dimonad is on the aircraft use ONE missile and guns. Alternate your missile fire let one reload half way before you fire again.                                                                        (NOTE: You still have to aim your own guns there is no auto aim)

NO JOY

This is your fail safe if you have not downed your target and are loseing sight of them regulary dont be afraid to press "Y" and disengage. No one will look down on you for backing out when you cant finish, just call out targets callsign and wait for your wingman to continue pursuit.

EVADE

Now here is were I will get a little bossy and Im sorry ahead of time but for this boys and girls its back to flight school. Dont get all fancy and try being the Thunder Birds or the Blue Angels......we are Dark Angels not a stunt group, that kind of flying will get you shot down.

1. The barrel roll is your best friend get used to it and love it

2. an S and Split S turn are very effective in this game

3. Flip move. It is not a very good idea if your slowing down to get the move. A slow target is a dead target in air combat. Keep in moving object is harder to hit than a still one. So the faster your moving the better things are.

4. Use your rudders and flaps to edge out of the reticle. Use those bumpers and roll a lot.

useing these manuvers and coming up with your own will determin how long you stay in the fight or how long you are in respawn.

I have shared a bit of what I know feel free to add more and Ill edit.

See you in the sky Angels

I am almost done with our practice system for this game and we will run the first go through this weekend as a test run just to find the bugs. We need to get fighters working together better. Attackers need to be better aims at higher speeds. Choppers need to sneek around better at the lowest level they can go. Multis should know both attacking and fighting.

I am going to be getting all of you to give me feedback on this stuff so we are stronger as a team and better in combat. Our strength is that of the weekest member. SO help them make us stronger. We are currently the biggest squad on AC AH right now and the only one who can fill a team easy. Lets be sure our power is also known as well.

umm whos the instructors

If you are chasing someone in D.F.M. they do not want you behind them simple so if the guy you are chasing decides ill lose him by fly flying under the bridge, in between the buildings and you smash into the ground as a result this is called PILOT ERROR you are being over aggressive you are far to focused on your enemy how do I know this SIMPLE PRESS THE Y BUTTON TO DISENGAGE DFM AND TRY AGAIN!!!!!!!

Remember the key to defeating your enemy is to respect your enemy.

E.g. If I have an enemy on my six I want him gone the most effective way to do that is to gain speed make myself a hard target spin around, jink all over the place, widen the gap be a pain in his ass.  What I do not want to do is start climbing I lose speed and my enemy can close the gap also with my aircraft moving slower he can pretty much see what Im doing. 

The Dicta Boelcke consists of the following 8 rules:

 1. Try to secure the upper hand before attacking. If possible, keep the sun behind you:

Advantages for World War I aircraft included speed, altitude, surprise, performance and numerical superiority.

• Speed: the pilot with the faster of two machines has control over the combat. He has the choice to break off combat and retire. The slower machine can not catch him. The pilot of a slower machine must stay on the defense. He can not run to safety. A fast moving aircraft can perform elaborate maneuvers, giving its pilot many options. A machine flying close to its stall speed can do little beyond wallowing in a more or less straight line. Aircraft engines available in 1914 and 1915 provided just enough thrust to keep machines airborne at 150 km/h (93 mph), and not much more. Level flight was fine, but climbing to a higher altitude took several minutes and cut air speed nearly in half. Diving, on the other hand, could add half again to a plane's top speed. By 1916, engine power and speed increased. By the end of the war, aircraft were operating regularly at speeds over 200 km/h (124 mph). Speed was critical.

• Altitude: From the advantage of flying above his opponent, a pilot had more control over how and where the fight takes place. He could dive upon his opponent, gaining a sizable speed advantage for a hit and run attack. Or, if the enemy had too many advantages- numbers for instance- a pilot could fly away with a good head start. On average, World War I aircraft climbed slowly. Altitude was a hard earned 'potential energy' store not to be given away capriciously.

• Surprise: getting the first shot before one's opponent is prepared to return fire was the 'safest' and preferred method for attack. Most air victories were achieved in the first pass. Without all-seeing devices like radar, a pilot could approach his foe stealthily, using clouds, haze or even using the enemy aircraft's own wings or tail to conceal his approach. The glare of the sun, especially, provided an effective hiding spot.

• Performance: Knowing the strengths, weakness and capabilities of your own aircraft, and that of your foe, was also critical. Who was faster, who could turn tighter, how many were there, etc. He argued against foolish acts of 'heroism.' If he could not 'secure advantages,' he would not attack. One of Boelcke's pupils, Manfred von Richthofen, learned this rule very well and became the war's top scoring ace.

A documented example of Boelcke 'securing advantages' took place on 17 September 1916. Boelcke and his pilots intercepted a flight of bombers and fighters crossing the lines. He chose not to attack right away, but had his Jasta climb higher above the bombers, keeping themselves between the bombers and the sun. There they circled and waited. When the bomber pilots, observers and fighter escort pilots were preoccupied with the destruction they were causing on the ground, Boelcke signaled for his pilots to attack. Several enemy aircraft went down and Jasta lost no one.

2. Always continue with an attack you have begun:

Rookie pilots would start a fight, but instinct (fear) would convince them to break it off and run. This inevitably presented the rookie's tail to his opponent's guns, making the rookie an easy victory for his enemy. Boelcke learned that it was far better to stay and continue mixing it up — waiting for his opponent to make mistakes or flee — than to break and run. To turn tail and run was to surrender most, if not all, of the advantages a pilot might have had. As an example, when Manfred von Richthofen met British ace Lanoe Hawker in November 1916, each persisted in trying to get on the other's tail. Both stuck to Boelcke's second dictum. When their endless circling had brought them down near the ground behind German lines, Hawker had to choose between landing and capture or fleeing. He chose to flee. Richthofen was then able to get behind him and shoot him down.

3. Only fire at close range, and then only when the opponent is properly in your sights:

A common rookie's urge was to start blasting away upon sighting his first enemy machine. Shots taken at ranges of 1000 m (3280 ft) stood little chance of hitting their mark. The rattle of machine gun fire would alert the intended target and gave them time to react.

The machine guns available for aircraft during the Great War were not highly accurate at longer ranges. Add to that the difficulty of aiming from a moving, bouncing gun platform at a fast moving target and it is a marvel that anyone ever hit anything. Boelcke preferred to fly to within 100 m (330 ft) or less before firing, to ensure hitting what he aimed at with his opening burst. Once the rattle of his guns was heard, the advantage of surprise was gone, so it was best to make that first shot most effective.

Another aspect of making each shot count was the limited supply of ammunition carried in World War I aircraft — usually only several hundred rounds. This could amount to less than 60 seconds of sustained fire. Reloading in the air varied from dangerous to impossible. Spraying the sky with lead in hopes of hitting something, eventually, was not an option. Shots had to be chosen carefully. Early in the war, when a sense of chivalry still held sway, some men allowed their opponents to depart if they were out of ammunition or had jammed guns. Total war did not allow such courtesies to last for long.

4. You should always try to keep your eye on your opponent, and never let yourself be deceived by ruses:

The first part, 'keeping your eye on your opponent,' sounds obvious enough, but it needed to be stated. In the hustle and bustle of an air fight it was easy to lose sight of your adversary. A restatement of this rule might be: never assume you know where your opponent is or will be. If a pilot 'lost' his foe, the advantage shifted to the foe. A successful pilot did not allow himself to be distracted from his opponent. As far as ruses go, it was not an uncommon practice for a pilot to feign being hit, going into a supposedly uncontrolled spin or dive, in order to exit a fight that was not going well. This practice traded on the chivalry of their opponents. To continue hammering a man who was already going down, was thought unsportsmanlike. Boelcke recognized that too many enemies were being allowed to escape and return to fight another day. War for national survival was not sport. He taught against the accepted notion that once a machine began to spin down, that one could move on. If it were a ruse, the enemy pilot would pull out at the last moment and either escape or return to attack, perhaps now having gained the advantage of surprise. Boelcke wanted his pupils to follow their opponent down, and make sure they were out of the fight or resume the fight if necessary.

5. In any type of attack, it is essential to assail your opponent from behind:

Firing at a machine flying across one's path required 'leading' the shot—aiming ahead of a moving target to compensate for its speed. While a few pilots were adept at the mental calculations necessary and good aerial marksmen, most were much less adept. The velocity of a moving gun platform, the speed of bullets plus the speed and direction of a moving target could be a lot to consider in the heat of battle. Furthermore, in deflection firing, the target could cross the stream of fire whose bullets were 50 m (165 ft) or more apart. Such crossing gave less exposure to the bullets.

Head-on attacks or head-to-tail attacks required little or no calculated deflection in aim. A head-on attack, however, exposed one directly to the enemy's guns. It was far safer and more effective to have one's target and bullet stream all traveling in more or less the same direction. This required little or no 'leading,' and exposed the target to a greater concentration of fire.

Because of the prevalence of attacks from the rear, aircraft design adapted to allow for rear firing guns in two-seaters and larger bombers.

6. If your opponent dives on you, do not try to get around his attack, but fly to meet it:

This rule is related to dictum #5 above. The instinctive reaction of many rookies was to turn and flee from an approaching attacker—especially a diving one. This simply presented their tail to the attacker, usually with disastrous results. Boelcke taught that a pilot had to conquer that instinct. Turning to face the attack could force the attacker onto the defensive, or at least keep the situation unsettled, which was far better than presenting your tail. Even though climbing to meet an attack would reduce speed, it was better to try to bring one's own guns to bear than to flee.

7. When over the enemy's lines, never forget your own line of retreat:

If a pilot chose to flee a superior force, or was coming down with a damaged machine, it was critical to spend what little time he might have going in the right direction. This rule sounds as though it is stating the obvious, but Boelcke found it necessary to include. More than a few pilots came down behind enemy lines because they got confused and lost their way. In World War I, aerial navigation was done mostly by sight. Taking regular note of landmarks helped a pilot get his bearings quickly, perhaps making the difference between safety and captivity.

8. Tip for Squadrons: In principle, it is better to attack in groups of four or six. Avoid two aircraft attacking the same opponent:

In the first year or so of World War I, air combat was more of a one-on-one affair. The early aces, like Pegoud, Garros, Boelcke and Immelmann, hunted the skies alone. As the war progressed, the sheer number of machines in the sky increased. Several reconnaissance machines traveled together for mutual protection, further protected by escorting fighters. Boelcke recognized that the days of the lone hunter were over. Many young pilots, however, still came to the front expecting to dash valiantly into battle as an errant knight, alone, but in reality they would be quickly overwhelmed by multiple enemies. Boelcke tirelessly lectured his pupils on the need for teamwork—sometimes scolding them for acting too independently. Attacking in a group allowed the leader to concentrate his attention exclusively on his target, while his wingmen protected his tail.

Air battles later in the war could involve dozens of aircraft from each side at the same time. The sky could become a swirling tangle of machines. When your side was at a numerical disadvantage, it was especially important not to double up on one opponent. The concentrated fire was of dubious value, since you were just as likely to get in each other's way as to hit the enemy. Doubling up also left an enemy machine somewhere unbothered and free to tail one of your side's machines. Later in the war, teamwork became the primary key to success and survival.

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Basic:

arxx racer

free2see911

Gman228

AG6752EMS90Xray

BadSmooth One

beatles4

Clark Seely

DemoniREPPER

Goofy Charlie

NISI14072

redsky 195A

Thebosshog09

xBloody Scytesx

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Moderate:

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Advanced:

If a student does not seem to fully grasp what you are trying to get across to them list it.

If the student is not progressing as you think they should list it.

Any reason a student should not be moved to the next class needs to be listed and reviewed.

Lesson #1 =Plane: F-16 emmerian skin.

Class breakdown: Review in the use of the controller (4 min), the HUD system (3 min), Basic flight maneuvers (4 min) TRGT chasing/aircraft control (4 min) GUN battle test (5 min).

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===Lesson #1===

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Aircraft controls.

First you must know all of your aircraft controls so you don’t get killed because you don’t know how to do a specific action.

You most likely know how to turn left right up and down with your left analog stick. But to master your plane you must get a good understanding of your Yaw/Rudder/Tail controls. This will help you edge even more turning power out of you plane that you did not know you had. These are your L/R bumpers. Let’s see you use them. Good.

Throttle: You have min and max throttle. You will need to master just how much throttle you need, when and where to use it. You also have brakes. These are an essential part of advanced flight. If you use both in conjunction you will enable a high G turning force on your aircraft. You will need to learn just how far you can push your aircraft so you don’t get killed. Make sure you don’t over use it or you will find yourself in the path of a MSSL.

View selection: You need to know just what options there are for you to see with. Knowing this will help in specific conditions.

There is also an option of turning your radar selection. Learn how to use it to your advantage.

Your Weapons are you life. You must know how to select your weapons. There are many different ways to kill an opponent. Use every weapon at your disposal.

Target selection. You are not forced to kill each target before moving on. Learn to pick your target so your wingmen are best protected.

The H.U.D. System

To begin select your view so that all you see is the HUD (Heads. Up. Display.) The point of reference will be the center of your screen. You should see a W & a circle with a tip at the top. These are your weapon sight & craft direction. The W being the Weapons. To the right & left are lines and dashes. These are your angle of assent & dissent. These will help you to gain or loose speed when you need to. To the right is your altitude. This will tell you how much reserve speed you have. To gain speed, drop your nose. To your left is your speed. Watch this close to know when it is safe to pull G’s and other maneuvers. To slow and you will stall out. Make sure to have extra speed to burn before you pull G’s. Stalling is the leading cause of death. Lack of skill can be made up for by staying up at combat speed. Now when you are targeting an enemy take note of the information that appears around the target. On top is the distance to TRGT, next is the craft name. These will give you what you need to know before you engage. Do not engage it if you are at a disadvantage. Always stay in a position of power. Do remember that it is not just you out there. You must watch the back of your wingman. To the top of your HUD is the heading. This is great for attacking in formation & for coordination of wingmen. Top right is the timer; you most likely don’t need me to tell you what this is for. To the top left is your score. To the top right of the screen is the team/game score. To the top left is the target cam & kill record. In the TRGT cam you will be able to see what your enemy is doing without turning your view from the front. To the bottom left of the screen is the radar. Use this to decide when & where to engage your enemy. Also it is for dodging MSSL’s & other ordinance of the enemy. To do this you will need to put the MSSL’s onto your 3-9 line. (The 3-9 line is from the tip of your right wing to the tip of your left wing. But make sure that you do this before the MSSL’s are inside the inner circle. To the bottom right of the screen is your weapons system and damage control. Keep close watch of these you don’t want to be caught with no MSSL in the loaded position.

D-pad controls.

Next we have the D-Pad. This is the in game Comm.’s system. Use this as much as you can to free up the Radio. Use the radio for special information. Up once or twice will request others to help you with the TRGT you are locked onto. Down once or twice will call for your team mate to back away from his/her TRGT so you can take the shot. Left once will send a confirmation to the other pilots in response to what they have requested. Left twice will give out a thank you to the rest of the Squadron. Right once will send out a refusal notice so that your team will know that you can not comply with the directive. Right twice will send out a sorry message. Good for when you cause the death of another pilot.

Basic maneuvers.

Just follow me.

1) The Immelman

2) The Split S

3) Barrel Roll

4) High G Barrel Roll

5) Aileron Roll

Combat maneuvers.

O.K. Now its time to try and use all of this information to fly your plane. First maneuver is the Immelman turn. To do this you will need to note your heading to judge how well you pull this off. Start at 000. Pull straight back on the yoke/L-stick until your heading reads 180 and you are flying level but inverted. Next roll over. You should be able to do this doing an exact 180 flip when in combat. Only so you can keep in mind what direction you are headed. Don’t get lost by flipping in the wrong direction. You don’t want a MSSL waiting for you.

Next is the barrel roll. This is not a simple roll. To roll all you have to do is push left or right on the L-stick. To do a barrel roll you must pull on the L-stick to make a circle as you move forward. This will make you drop and raise your ALT. It should look as if you are flying straight through a barrel in the sky while staying on the edge of the barrel.

The Split S is next. For this you will need to check your heading to see how well you do this. If done perfect you will start and end with the exact same heading. Start at 000. First pull right and back hard for 180 degrees. Once you have done this you should flip all the way into inverted flight. Once here pull back on the stick to bring your heading back to 000. If done right you will have gotten your foe to go the exact other way or he will try and follow you and end up in the ground if you did this move close to enough to it.

Jinking is making any sharp maneuver to your plane and then going back to the original plain and heading. You just have to know when you can do this and when it is not enough to avoid your foes Guns/MSSLs.

Lastly is the High G aspect of all these maneuvers. You can do any of these with or without using Gs. If you are going to use Gs then make sure you have the speed to do so. Too many Gs for to long and you will stall out. Perfect TRGT for you foe to get a kill on.

With these you will be able to avoid death in most cases. You will however need to master instinctive maneuverings. There is no replacement to know what to do and when.

The TRGT chase.

To learn how to chase down your foe you will need to learn to watch and react. We will now give you a chance to do so. Stay as close as you can to me without crashing or overshooting. Also stay within my 5-7 and no more than 200 degrees of ALT change with me. We will now do a little follow the leader to get you in tune with these maneuvers. First I will start slow and add more complex maneuvers as we go. Try to keep up with me. We will see if you can pull them off in an air to air chase. This will teach you how to chase down your target using them as he does. Not to mention you will learn to fly anticipating the next move your target will make. Try to follow me in the exact path I take, Go around the same hills, under the same bridge, through the same road, and pass the same buildings, using the same maneuvers that I use. To learn how to chase down your foe you will need to learn to watch and react. We will now give you a chance to do so. Stay as close as you can to me without crashing or overshooting. Also stay within my 5-7 and no more than 200 degrees of ALT change with me.

Now how well can you use your guns? Let’s see. You may now chase me in any way you wish or don’t chase me at all. Your only job is to shoot me down or at least hit me. You are not however permitted to hit or kill any other aircraft. Once the time hits 5 min. live fire for guns only. Try to use all of the maneuvers you learned in order to stay alive and shoot me down. Work as a team to shoot me down.

Teaching the art and thrill of the virtual sky.

   The air combat training program developed from the enrollment and testing process that the Dark Angels used for its membership. It was the standard testing process used to evaluate the skills and knowledge of those who sought entrance to our fighter squadron. With the reformation of the squadron the former training and testing process has been released to the public. This course is now no longer just for the testing of new recruits to the squadron. The focus of this course is to teach and explain the controls and tactics used by real pilots as they relate to the virtual sky. Some simulators & games do not provide proper ACM training or information. ACM stands for air combat maneuvers. ACM was developed over the years of flight that air power was used to wage battles and achieve goals in war. It is this information that we hope to teach and train the current virtual pilots how to use and enjoy. Those who undergo this course will come away with a vast wealth of knowledge about the art and methods of air combat. You will achieve an unmatched level of enjoyment about flight in the virtual sky. Your combat skills will be greatly increased. You will soon be a fierce fighter pilot of the virtual sky.

  There are three classes involved in the ACT course.

• Basic Training
• Moderate Training
• Advanced Training

 These will build on each other and produce in you the skills and edge you need to out maneuver your fellow pilots of the virtual sky. The basic class starts with flight controls for the game or simulator you fly. The moderate class teaches you the weapons system and flight maneuvers for the game or simulator you fly. The advanced class will teach you how to et the most from the knowledge you learned in the basic and moderate class. The advanced class will put you to the test and allow you to actually try the maneuvers out in a combat situation. You will get advice from pother ace pilots of the virtual sky.

  If you have ever wished to be a pilot or fly in any flight game or simulator. I strongly ask that you consider this course as your source for gaining a love for the virtual sky.

        Jason Jones Flight Instructor and squadron leader for The Dark Angels

The foregoing are the basics of air combat maneuvering. Many variations on the described maneuvres exist, but they are percisely that: variations. No air-display-type aerobatics have been included, because they are irrelevant to air combat. But, however skiful a pilot may be at air combat maneuvering, his ability must be backed up by knowledge and awareness of other factors affecting the contest.

The first essential is to know the strengths and weakness of his own machine and be able to compare them against the fighting qualities of his oppenent's aircraft. For example, it would be foolish for a Phantom to ebgage in a prolonged turning contest with a MiG-21 at about equal airspeed as the MiG-21 has by far the better turning capability.

We must always remember that air combats are lost rather then won. Air combat maneuvering is not a series of magic formulae, one of which can be plucked from a hat to meet a given situation and guarantee a successful engagement. Rather is it a means to an end. It is important to avoid making mistakes, and equally- if not more- important to force the oppenent into making mistakes by keeping him under pressure, If the oppenent can be forced into a series of energy-dissipating hard turns, he will become increasingly unable to defend himself effectively. Pressure is kept on by positive and decisive maneuvreing.

The term aggressive has been deliberately avoided, as aggression is a double-edged sword. Too much aggression can lead to mental tunnel vision: total preoccupation with obtaining the kill. If other hostile fighters are near, this can easily prove disastrous.

Probally the most common fault of a novice fighter pilot is depleting his energy state to a level where his ability to maneuvre has all but vanished. He should endeavour to keep his speed up near the corner velocity for his aeroplane if at all possible. The old saying, "out of altitude, airspeed, and ideas" is very true; every fighter pilot has at one time or another been faced with a situation where he has run out of ideas. In this situation, his only recourse is to attempt to point his nose at the enemy.

Also, trite though it may sound, he should never give up. This is not as peculiar as it first seems; the records of air warfare give many examples of flyers who did give up and presented their victor with an easy target. The extreme emotional, physical, and psychological stress of air combat accounts for this phenomenon. With a bandit neatly trapped at the six o'clock, the position may appear hopeless, but he has not lost yet. The attacker has still to slove the problems of closure rate, range and deflection, missile firing limitations, and even setting the correct switches. If the defender can keep the attacker busy by just staying in a favourable position, the defender's chances of survival increase considerably.

This maneuvre differs from the defensive high-g barrel roll in that a great loss of speed to force an attacking fighter to overshoot is not necessary. The g forces can therefore often be quite small. Closely resembling the rollaway, the barrel roll attack is used to alter the angel of approach to the defender without losing a lot of speed. It is used when the attacker becomes aware that he is going to overshoota turning target. He rolls away the wings level, pulling the nose hard up, then rolls away from the direction of turn. This three-dimensional maneuvre is completed by sliding in astern of the target.

The counter to a well executed barrel roll attack is for the defender to dive away and increase speed. While doing this he must keep a sharp lookout for a missile attack and be ready to evade it. If he reverses his turn, he will probally set himself up for a gun attack.

Another combat situation which can arise is a stalemate in either a tail chase or turning match. To break the stalemate, a low-speed yoyo is used. This is based on the age-old concept of trading height for speed. If the pursuer finds that he is unable to close to within shooting range in straight flight, he can gain extra speed in a shallow dive. This will allow him to close the horizontal distance and takes him into his opponent's blind spot at six o'clock low. When a suitable position and overtaking speed can be attained, the pursuer can pull up and attack. The counter? Keep a good lookout behind!

More often, the low-speed yoyo is uded to break a stalemate in a turning fight. Tha attacker drops his nose to the inside od the turn, then cuts low across the circle before pulling up towards his opponent's six o'clock. The gain is often marginal, but repeating the process nibbles off a few degrees of angle each time, due to maneuvreing in the vertical plane. The pull-up should be started when a position of about 30 degrees angle-off is reached. It is important that the angle of cut-off is correct or the attacker will arrive in a fly-through situation with too much angle-off as he approaches the targetr. If this happens then he must endeavour to pull up into a high-speed yoyo.

Defence against the low-speed yoyo takes two forms. The first is to copy the maneuvre while remainingin phase with the attacker. This maintains the stalemate. The secound counter is more psitive, The defendeing turn into his opponent.

If the attacking pilot has tried to lead the defender by too much or dived too low by being greedy, the defender can also pull up and barrel down onto the attacker.

This can be used when the promary cause of overshootingis excess speed. Basically it consists of maintaining position astern but outside the turn radius of the defending firghter. In this manner both speed advantage and initiative are retained, the attacker matching the defender's rate of turn id degrees per secound while remaining concealed in the blind spot beneath the defender's tail. Lag persuit is best countered by tightening the turn into a spiral dive. The temptation is to reverse and commence scissoring, but this is a good way to die if the attacker is on the ball.

As the attacker reaches the top of the yoyo, he rolls in the opposite direction to the defender's turn.This has the effect of pulling him tighter behind the defender.

A perfectly executed high-speed yoyo is very difficult to counter. However, there are a few tricks that the defending pilot can try. If his enery state is high enough, he can pull up into the attack, but would risk depleting his energy reserves to the point where he can no longer effectively defend himself. Alternatively, as the attacker pulls up his nose, the defender can relax his turn and spiral wide at full throttle. This would hopefuuly increase his speed and widen the distance. Then when the attacker comes down, the defender breaks and the situation returns to square one. However, if the attacker has misjudged his maneuvre and rolls out close astern but high, the defender relaxes his turn to maintain speed; then, when the attacker drops his nose and dives, the defender is able to reverse hard up into him. The secound answer to overshooting is Lag Pursuit.

When the attacker realises that he is unable to stay on the inside on the defender's turn, he relaxes his angle of bank a little, then pulls high. As he comes over the top he is inverted, looking down at his opponent through the top of his canopy. His speed falls due to the climb, and this disminishews his radius of turn. The 1g of gravity is utilized by turning in the vertical plane, which reduces the raidus of turn still further. The attacker sholud the be well placed to slide down into a fireing position.

The high-speed yoyo is a very difficult maneuvre to preform well, and demands perfect timing and precise execution. If it is commenced too early, the defender can counter by pulling up into the attack. If started too late, the attacker is forced to pull up at an excessively steep angel to avoid overshooting. This allows the defender to disengage by diving away. A common fult in executing the high-speed yoyo is not pulling the nose high enough. This can result in the attacker ending dircetly above the defender. Some pilots find that they can obtain better results from a series of small yoyos than one large one. A variant on this maneuvre, used to prevent overshooting or to reduce the angle-off is the rollaway.

In this the defender rolls inverted and dives away vertically, pulling out in a direction opposite to that of his opponent.

Most defensive maneuvres are designed to counter an attack coming from astern, mainly by forcing an attacker to overshoot. What are the attacker's needs? Much depends on weather he is planning a missile or gun attack. A missile attack shouls be fast, deadly, and conclusive. But, as WW I German Cheif of Staff von Moltke observed many years ago: plans rarly surive contact with the enemy. The fighter pilot should be prepared for his attack to fail and know percisely what he will do next, either enter into a maneuvring combat.

If his attack is form head-on, much will depend on the maneuvre potential of the two opponents. The more maneuvrrable fighter will have the edge in a turning fight. (The more maneuvrable fighter at this stage is frequently the one travelling slowest rather than the one most aerodynamically capable.) If this is the attacker he should endeavor to pass wide of his opponent to give himself turning room. If there is any doubt about relative maneuvre potential he should pass close to deny his adversary turning room, then pullhigh in the turn. In either case he should pass down-Sun so that his next change od direction forces his opponent to look into the dazzle. If after a head-on pass both aircraft pull high a vertical ascending scissors may result.

A missile attack from astern is normaly made at high closing speed. If the attacker must zoom climb to dissipate his excess speed if he wishes to continue the fight, although it is easier and probally safer to disengage at this point. A gun attack should be made with am overtake speed of about 50 konts (just under 90 feet, 27m per secound). This gives time to track the target in the sight, minimises the risk of overshooting and retains an energy advantage for maneuvring combat.

The defensive maneuvres described earlier place much stress on forcing an attacker to overshoot. It is obviously important to avoid overshooting, so how is it done?

An overshoot is caused by one of two factors. The first is an excessively large angle substended between the fuselages of the respective aircraft. The secound is excessive closing speed. This is difficult for the attacker to spot until he is fairly close in. Either way the attacker is faced overshooting. His first remedy is the High-speed Yoyo

This is similar to the scissors, but it is carried out in either a steep climb or dive and the reversals are often carried out by executing a complete barrel roll. The ascending vertical rollingscissors places the fighters with the better zoom climb (or the higher initial energy state) at a disadvantage at first. Otherwise the fighter with the best sustained rate of climb will have the advantage. If in a desending vertical rolling scissors the defender finds himself forced bleow his adversary he should attempt to place himself directly beneath his oppenent and manoeuvre in phase with him. In this position he cannotbe seen and can pick his moment to disengage with a split S.

When all other maneuvres fail, the spiral dive is a last-ditch attempt to shake off a resolute pursuer. This involves maintaining the highest possible rate of turn in a dive steep enough to retain maneuvring airspeed. If the attacker follows the spiral the defender should throttle back. This tends to flatten out the spiral and reduces the rate at which height is lost. The defender will slowly lose speed. As it is extremely difficult for the attacker to notice early enough that his opponent has reduced power he may start to overshoot at this point. If he does, a hard rolling reversal and pull-up by the defender will force the attacker out in front.

This is a defensive ploy against an attacker who is sitting on the defender's tail within gun range with little or no overtakeing speed. It is a series of random turns, skids, pitch-ups and yaws to spoil the attacker's aim. While the attacker is able to retian the advantage, the longer he is forced to concentrate on attaining a shooting position, the more nervous he is likley to become about what is going on behind him.

Odviously, at this point the defender is in a desperate situation, about to be shot down, following a break with rapidly decaying airspeed. What is called for is application of full reheat, max g in one plane for about 3 to 4 secounds, followed by max minus g in another plane held for 3 to 4 secounds. Speed should have increased by this time. Hopefully, now out of gun range, the defender can now start jinking , separting them by 30 to 60 degrees to avoid the missile envelope-or he can turn back in for a front missile attack (if he has missiles), followed by escape.

This maneuvre is used against an attacker closing fast from astern. It starts with a break, then a roll in the direction to the break. The fact that it is a high g maneuvre means that quite a lot of speed is lost, up to 100 knots in some cases, particulary if performed "over the top."

If the attacker is closing fast and is caught by surprise he may easily fly through and end up in front, the postions reversed. If he attempts to follow the barrel roll, he will probally end up high and wide of the defender who can then turn in towards him, forcing him down and in front. But woe betide the defender who attempts a barrel roll in front of a slowly closing attacker who will follow him through the manoeuvre, ending on his tail easy gun range. His only recourse in this event is to jink.

The High G Barrel Roll is a difficult maneuvre to execute successfully, and is in fact easy for the attacker to counter. It will only work if the attacker has been led into, or is in, a high angle-off, high overtake situation.

This is a series of turn reversals preformed with the object of forcing the overshooting attacker out in front to a position od disadvantage. The inital turn is reversed when the attacker has definitaly overshot and has drifted sufficiently wide as to prevent him from pulling back into the cone of vulnerability when the defender reverses. Timing the reversals is absolutely critical. The basic rule is that if the attacker is overshooting fast, reverse early, but if he is drifting slowly wide, take time and make sure.

Full power is used throughout the scissors but with the nose trimmed high to reduce the foward velocity vector. Airbreaks can be used to force the flythrough but if they are used too early they will advertise the defenders's intentions. The scissors may turn into a stalemate with neither side gaining the advantage. The stalmate can be broken by one fighter rolling inverted when passing through the adversary's six o'clock and diving away to gain speed before pulling back up, preferably into the sun by surprise. Scissoring for more than a couple of reversals is not recommended against an opponent who is able to turn faster and/or tighter, and it should not be attempted if there is more than one attacker, eihter. Fighter pilots recommend that unless the advantage is gained after three reversals, the pilot should, aiming to pass head-on the attacker, since this would put him at a disadvantage in having to turn back toward the defender as he runs out.

This is used when an attacker is first seen or is already in the cone of vulnerability. Its purpose is twofold: to spoil the attacker's aim and to force him to overshoot. The break is always made towars the direction of attack. This generates "angle-off" as quickly as possible which makes the defender a difficult target. The attacker may be able to cut inside the turn but he is forced to pull lead. To do this he must tighten his turn, which increases his angel of attack. It is difficult for him to pull his nose around at high angels of attack to achieve a firing soultion. The defender should also alter his plane of flight to make himself a more difficult target.

Two forms of break are possible. Depending on the circumstances of the attack. The defender can use a maximum-rate sustained turn in which he does not lose speed, or the hardest possible turn in which he almost certainly does. The speed loss attendant on the turn aids his chances of forcing the attacker to overshoot, as does the smaller radius of the turn, but oftquoted maxims such as "speed is life" act as an inhibitor. If the break succeeds in forceing the attacker to overshoot, the next manoeuvre is the Scissors.

A single aircraft in a hostile environment is extremely vulnerable. Therefore fighters fly in elements of two. Although larger formations are often used for specific tasks, the pair is the basic element. Combat spread, also known as wide battle, is the most commonly used formation. Combat spread is a widly spaced formation, 5,000 to 9,000ft (roughly 1,520 to 2,740m) laterally, with between 3,000 and 5,000ft (900 to 1,520m) of altitude seperation, exact distances depending on the visibality conditions prevailing at the time. The The high man is always the pilot flying furthest from the angle of the sun.

A pair working as a team is much more effective than two fighters working individually. They guard each other's visual blind spots and, hunt as a co-ordinated unit. The wide spacing is dictated by two factors: the long reach of contemporary weaponry, and the large amounts of sky needed for maneuvre at high subsonic or transonic speeds. There are few set maneuvres for the pair, just a few general tricks to meet certain situations.

Because air combat involves dynamic movement in three dimensions, one could conculde that it is an infinitely variable maneuvre/counter-maneuvre process. But such in not the case. A fighter pilot has only a limited number of options with which to meet a given situation. Which one he uses will be dictated more by the relative positions and energy states of himself and his opponent than by any potential technical advantages that his aircraft may possess. He will strive to deny his adversary the initiative, knowing that air combats are lost more often than they are won.

The pilot who holds the initiative can push his opponent around the sky, keeping him under constant pressure. The longer the pressure continues, the greater the stress on the defending pilot becomes as his life is threatened. Stress breeds mistakes and the first error may well prove fatal. Even if the defending piulot makes no errors he is likely to be forced into a series of energy-dissipating maneuvres that deplete his very maneuvre capability and render him ever less capable of defending himself.

Tha maneuvre phase proper generally begins when a pilot realises that he is about to come, or already is, under attack. His first priority is survival; turning the tables is secondary at this stage. The opening moves are thus defensive with with the attacker conforming predictably to the defender's movements. Each maneuvre has its counter. However, it is the precision and timing of a maneuvre which is important; the ability to out-fly an opponent. The most technically advanced fighter in the world is only as good as its pilot.

If, however, the defending aircraft can achieve an eraly sighting the pilot should be able to maneuvre using normal turns to prevent the attacker from positioning in the lethal orvalunerability cones. Having negated the attack, the defender should eighrt disengage (for instance, on an attack sortie the promary aim must be to complete the bombing mission) or alternatively continue maneuvring into an attacking position.

The aspiring fighter pilot is taught basic air combat maneuvers, some defensive, others offensive. They are: the Break, the Scissors, the High-G Barrel Roll, Jinking, the Spiral Dive, the Vertical Rolling Scissors, the split S, the High Speed Yoyo, the Vector Roll or Rollaway, the Lag Pursuit, the Low Speed Yoyo, the Barrel Roll Attack, the Vertical Reverse, the Immelmann and various versions of and conuters to these.