Fighter Combat

ONE-VERSUS-ONE MANEUVERING, SIMILAR AIRCRAFT 103coming up at each pass. This tactic encourages the opponent to turnnose-low in response, which allows the angles fighter to continue noselowon the following turn without losing so much altitude relative to thebogey. Attacking from below also discourages the bogey pilot from makinga steep pull-up prior to the pass to make use of his excess energy, since sucha pull-up would, at least temporarily, increase the attacker's angularadvantage. In addition, overshooting the bogey's flight path from low tohigh is considerably less dangerous than overshooting from above, whichinvites the opponent to initiate a rolling scissors. Since the bogey willprobably have an energy advantage after the first pass, the angles tacticianshould avoid participating in a rolling scissors. If the defender pulls upsharply at an overshoot and the angles fighter pilot judges he cannot get hisaircraft's nose on the bogey quickly for a gun shot, a diving extension iscalled for to gain separation for an escape or a return under more favorablecircumstances.Passing the bogey at time "4" with a good bite may offer the attacker aforward-quarter gun snapshot opportunity, which he should take. Beingshot at places the opponent more deeply on the psychological defensiveand should force a defensive reaction, which will bleed his aircraft's energyand possibly give the angles fighter greater advantage. The shooter mayeven get lucky and score some hits. An angular advantage at the pass alsowill likely cause the defender to lose sight temporarily as the angles fighterovershoots at six o'clock and flies toward the bogey's belly-side. In thissituation there is a very strong tendency for the bogey pilot to reverse histurn direction to regain sight, which is exactly what the angles tacticianwould like. Such a reversal reinitiates a nose-to-nose condition in whichthe tighter turn radius and slower speed of the angles fighter should bringfurther gains at the next pass.If the bogey does not reverse at time "4," the angles fighter pilot shouldcontinue to press his advantage in the nose-to-tail direction, using alternatelow and high yo-yos (Figures 2-7 and 2-6) to make repeated low-tohighgun passes on the bogey, while making small angular gains on eachpass. If this sequence continues, the attacker should eventually eitherscore hits or force the defender into a reversal or zoom climb.Once at the enemy, you should not aspire just to strike him, but to cling afterthe attack.Miyamoto MusashiIn Figure 3-2 (a continuation of the engagement begun in Figure 3-1), thebogey reverses and zooms at time "4" in a climbing oblique right turn. Theangles fighter also pulls up sharply inside the opponent's turn andthreatens a gun shot as the defender tops out at time "5." Because theangles fighter normally has less energy, it probably will not be able to reachthe defender's altitude at time "5," but all that is required for a gun shot isthat the shooter draw within effective guns range with lead. Withoutsufficient energy to zoom out of range, the bogey is forced into a defensivepull back down toward the attacker. Figure 3-3 shows the end-game of thisengagement.